Who are the Faces of the Franchise? AL West Edition

Continuing on with my look at each organization and their Face of the Franchise, the AL West…

Angels – I think that at this point, Torii Hunter has taken the mantle of the face of the franchise. He has even shown leadership (whether or not it was his choice remains to be seen) by switching positions last year for a younger player in Peter Bourjos, and likely to remain the same for Vernon Wells this year.

Athletics – The team’s roster is always so fluid that it becomes difficult at times to talk about certain players as representatives for the organization. Candidates to me seem like Mark Ellis, Kurt Suzuki, Daric Barton, Brett Anderson, and Trevor Cahill. If I had to choose one right now, it would probably be Ellis. But I believe that this year will give us a much better idea as to who should be considered the face of the franchise.

Mariners – This one is very clear: Ichiro Suzuki has become THE name associated with the Mariners. Beyond that, Felix Hernandez holds a similar role on the pitching staff, and with both locked up to long-term contracts, they should stay a long time in Seattle.

Rangers – You know, prior to this offseason, I probably would have said Michael Young. But with his trade request, and the Rangers’ apparent desire to move him, I think that this torch is being passed to Josh Hamilton. He is easily the most recognizable player on the Rangers’ roster besides Young, and just recently signed a 2 year contract to buy out his arbitration years.

One response to “Who are the Faces of the Franchise? AL West Edition”

I believe if you asked the rabid A’s fans at athletics nation the nebulous question. “who is the face of the franchise?” The most popular answer would be “Daric Barton”. Most of us believe Barton is due for a monster year, and has been vastly underrated the last few years.